Patterned stitch-bonded fabric

ABSTRACT

A patterned stitch-bonded fabric having a basic fibrous layer which is stitch-bonded with a binding warp thread thereby forming wales of loops on the face of the fabric and connecting loops on the back of the fabric. The face of the fabric has, furthermore, courses of loops which extend transversely to the wales. These courses of loops are divided into groups each of which has at least two successive courses of loops. The wales of loops are divided into sets; each set includes at least two adjacent wales which are interconnected by means of connecting loops extending across the back face of the fabric. The outer wales of adjacent sets of wales are not interconnected to each other and, consequently, the basic fibrous layer bulges out in the front and back face of the fabric in the area between the outer wales of adjacent sets of wales. The outer wales of the sets of wales in adjacent groups of courses of loops are offset with respect to each other.

May 23, 1972 States Patent Kochta et al.

[ PATTERNED STITCH-BONDED FABRIC THER PUBLICATIONS New Fabrics Without Weaving," Modern [72] Inventors. Zdenek Kochta, Karel Dvoracnek, both of Textiles Magazine, Nov. 1965- p g 5 1 54 Bahlo. K. W.,

Reisfeld, Warp Knit Engineering," N.Y., Nat. KTD. Outw r Ass, 1966, pages 380- 381 Brno, Czechoslovakia Brno,

Primary Examiner-Ronald Feldbaum AttorneyArthur O. Klein [22] Filed:

211 App]. No.: 788,155

[57] ABSTRACT A patterned stitch-bonded fabric having a basic fibrous layer [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Jan. 3, I968 Czechoslovakia which is Stitch-bonded with a binding p thread thereby fonning wales of loops on the face of the fabric and connecting loops on the back of the fabric. The face of the fabric has,

furthermore, courses of loops which extend transversely to the wales. These courses of loops are divided into groups each of which has at least two successive courses of loops. The wales 525 mu /7 m w wmw l n [51] lnt.Cl. [58] Field References Cited of loops are divided into sets; each set includes at least two adjacent wales which are interconnected by means of connecting UNITED STATES PATENTS loops extending across the back face of the fabric. The outer 579 6/1959 221 501 552 918 66/192 wales of adjacent sets of wales are not interconnected to each ,66/192 other and, consequently, the basic fibrous layer bulges out in the front and back face of the fabric in the area between the outer wales of adjacent sets of wales. The outer wales of the sets of wales in adjacent groups of courses of loops are offset with respect to each other.

Mauersberger......................... 10/l966 Gliksmann.......

6/1967 Bahlo........ 7/1967 Hughes 1/1968 Hughes 6 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMM 23 1972, I

sum 1 UPS INVENTORS Zdenzk KQCHTA BY: Km: DVORACNEK VMZM 0- 1%. ATTORNEY PATENTEDMAYZS m2 3,664,157

SHEET 2 BF 5 INVENTORS:

Zdmek KOCHT KomeJ DVO QAC M 0. m v

, ATTORNEY /bl /w av; Karel DVOQACNEK Maw ATTORNEY PATTERNED STITCH-BONDED FABRIC BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The known stitch bonding knitting machines, such as, for example, a so-called Arachne stitch-bonding machine, can produce only a limited variety of patterns because their lapping and knitting needles can not be individually controlled. The fabric produced by such known stitch-bonding machines can only be patterned by varying the color scheme of the basic layer, such as, for example, using several webs of different colors in the basic layer, by using two warps, or by using patterned, multi-color threading of warp threads in guide bars.

These known stitch-bonded fabrics have sometimes on their front face longitudinal, parallel wales of loops of binding warp thread which cause the fibrous material of the basic layer to protrude thereby giving the front face of the fabric a corduroy-like appearance, while the connecting loops or pile loops on the back face of the fabric produce an inconspicuous pattern.

These known fabrics are produced by stitch-bonding the basic fibrous web with typical warp structures such as chainstitch, tricot, plain cord stitch, atlas, combinations of these structures alone or combinations with lapping under needles. It should be noted that the front face fabric sides of these known fabrics are not substantially altered by varying the aforelisted structures or their combinations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a general object of this invention to provide a new type of patterned fabric which is more versatile insofar as its adaptability to various manufacturing techniques is concerned and, consequently, this new fabric may be made in a greater variety of types and patterns.

The patterned stitch bonded fabric in accordance with this invention is made by stitch-bonding the basic fibrous layer with a binding warp thread so that the ensemble forms a patterned stitch-bonded fabric which has wales of loops on the front face thereof and connecting loops on the back face thereof. The front face of the fabric, furthermore, has a plurality of courses of loops which are divided into groups. Each group comprises at least two successive courses of loops. The wales of loops on the front face of the fabric can be grouped into sets; each set of wales comprises at least two adjacent wales which are interconnected to each other by loops extending across the back face of the fabric in each course of loops. This arrangement makes it possible for the fibers of the fibrous basic fabric to protrude from the front and back faces in the areas between the center wales of the sets of wales of loops. The outer wales of the sets of wales in adjacent groups of courses of loops are offset with respect to each other.

The afore-described offset arrangement can take different forms which can be grouped as follows:

a, The sets of wales of loops are identical, that is to say the number of wales of loops in all sets are identical. The outer wales of adjacent set of wales are offset in adjacent groups of courses of loops by at least one wale (FIGS. 3 and 4); or

b. the number of wales in the sets are different. The outer wales between adjacent set of wales are offset by at least one wale in adjacent groups of courses and the number of wale sets in the two adjacent groups of courses is identical (FIG. 6); or

c. the number of wales in the sets are different. The outer wales between adjacent set of wales are offset by at least one wale in adjacent groups of courses and the number of wale sets in the two adjacent groups of courses is different (FIG. 7).

The stitch-bonded fabric can be patterned by using combinations of basic warp-knitting structures such as ofiset tricot, offset plain cord stitch, chain-stitch and offset double loop twill, both in single-structure combination such as offset tricot in both the guide bars, and in double-structure combinations such as offset tricot with offset plain cord stitch or offset tricot with chain-stitch etc.

The patterned stitch bonded fabric, which is the object of this invention, can be advantageously produced on a quilting and knitting machine, such as is, for example, disclosed and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,310,964. Such a machine is provided with adequate guide cams (or lapping cams) for the patterning, or with an adequate lapping chain (patterning chain). Such a quilting and knitting machine is also described on page 32 in an article in the following U.S. publication: The Arachne StitchBonding System" Frank .I. Levy, Vice-President Stellamcor, Inc. in magazine entitled MODERN TEX- TILES Special Edition 1967 (Seventh Annual Conference) published by the American Association for Textile Technolo- This quilting and knitting machine is also described in an article entitled Fabric-Making in Czechoslovakia Today's Newest Textile Engineering by R. Presley on page 48 in the magazine entitled TEXTILE WORLD, published March 1968.

The desired pattern is attained in such known quilting and knitting machines by selecting warp-knitting or knitting structures into the guide bars and by pattern threading binding warps of single or more colors which at the same time determines the number of wales in each set.

The relief pattern is formed on both of the fabric sides so that either fabric side can be used as the face according to the type of end-product which is to be achieved.

The relief pattern can be made more conspicuous by using at least two sub-layers in the basic layer which are made of fibers of different potential shrinkage. The fibers are then shrunk chemically or by heat in the finished product. During the shrinking treatment, the layer with the more shrinkable fibers shrinks, contracting simultaneously the non-shrinkable layer. The surplus of non-shrinkable fibers causes the layer to conspicuously bulge out in the space between the outer wales of adjacent wale sets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing which forms part of this application and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view shown partially in section of a patterned stitch bonded fabric in accordance with this invention looking at the back face of the fabric;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a patterned stitch bonded fabric in accordance with this invention looking at the front face of the fabric;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the fabric shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, illustrating the lapping of the warp-knitting fabric structure; and

FIGS. 4 7 are diagrammatic views of different embodiments of fabrics in accordance with this invention wherein the lapping of the double-warp structures of the fabric is illustrated.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The basic layer of the fabric and the threads used as binding warp are made of standard fibers which are commonly used in the knitting industry. The basic layer is advantageously embodied as a fibrous web, but may also take the form of a foam sheet.

There is illustrated in the drawing a fabric having a basic layer 1 which is stitch-bonded with binding warp 2 in a warpknitting structure resulting in wales 3 being formed on the fabric face (FIG. 2) of loops 4 and connecting loops 5,6 on the fabric back (FIGJ). For illustration purposes the wales of loops have been designated from left to right by symbols 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f. The courses 7 of loops 4 are divided in the fabric into groups 7a, 7b, 7n, each of them incorporating four courses of loops 7. In each group 7a, 7b, 7n wales 3 form sets 8 of two adjoining wales 3 so that in the group 7a of courses 7, the sets are formed from wales 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f and in the group 7b from wales 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e. The outer wales 3b, 3c, 3d,

3e in the group 7a and outer wales 3a, 3b, 3d, 3e, 3f in the following group 7b are not interconnected by connecting loops 5,6. The set 7n which follows group 7b is identical with group 7a from the-point of view of the arrangement of wales 3 so that the pattern repeat covers in this case eight courses 7. The arrangement of wales 3 in two adjacent groups 7a, 7b, and 7n of courses 7 is different in that the outer Wales 30, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f in group 7a are offset by one wale with respect to outer wales 3b, 3c, 3d, 3d in the adjacent group 7b.

The fibers of the basic layer 1 stand out in the space 9 between the two outer wales 3 of wale sets 8 above the surface of the stitch-bonded fabric (FIGS. 1 and 2).

In the example of the embodiment of the invention, each wale set 8 incorporates two wales 3 wherein the two wales are interconnected in a group, e.g. in group 7a of courses 7, on the fabric back by connecting loops 5,6 and in the succeeding group 7b of courses 7 the same pairs of wales are not interconnected.

In the embodiment of a patterned stitch-bonded fabric illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a double-warp structure in opposite offset tricot and in 1:1 threading which is used in both of the warps. FIG. 3 illustrates diagrammatically the lapping of this warp structure. One of the warps is shown in full line and the other warp thread is shown with a thin line. The fibers of the basic layer bulge out on the face and back of the fabric above the remaining fabric surface in the space 9 shown with a very heavy line. Two wales 3 are incorporated in each set 8 and four courses 7 form each group 7a, 7b, 7n. The outer wales 3 of adjacent sets 8 of a group of courses 7 are offset with respect to the pairs of outer wales 3 of an adjoining group of courses 7 by a single wale.

FIG. 4 illustrates diagrammatically the lapping of a doublewarp structure of combined offset tricot and offset plain cord stitch with pattern threading of guide bars, with tricot in 2:1 threading and with plain cord stitch in 1:2 threading. The fibers of the basic layer 1 stand out on both fabric sides from spaces 9a. Each set 8 embodies three wales 3 and each group 7a, 7b, 7n incorporates four courses 7. The outer wales 3 of two adjoining sets 8 of a single group of courses 7 are offset with respect to the pair of outer wales 3 of the adjoining group of courses 7 by one wale.

FIG. 5 illustrates diagrammatically the lapping of a doublewarp structure of offset plain cord stitch with pattern threading 1:3 in the first guide bar and 1:3 in the second guide bar. The fibers of the basic layer 1 stand out from the fabric in the spaces 9b.

FIG. 6 illustrates diagrammatically the lapping of a doublewarp structure of opposite offset tricot with pattern threading in the first guide bar according to the diagram and 1:1 threading in the second guide bar, X denoting a blank. The fibers of the basic layer 1 stand out from the fabric in the spaces 9c. Sets 8 are formed alternately twice from two wales 3 and once from four wales 3. Four courses 7 are contained in each group 7b, 7b, 7n. The outer wales 3 of two adjacent sets 8 of a group of courses 7 are offset with respect to the pairs of outer wales 3 of the adjoining group of courses 7 by a single wale.

FIG. 7 shown diagrammatically the lapping of a doublewarp structure of offset opposite tricot with pattern threading in both the guide bars, X denoting a blank. The fibers of the basic layer 1 bulge out of the fabric from the spaces 9d. Each odd group of courses 7a, 7n incorporates four courses 7 and alternating sets of wales 8 in an arrangement two times two wales 3 and one time four wales 3. Each even group of courses 7b incorporates six courses 7 and alternating sets of wales 8 in an arrangement of two wales 3 and six wales 3. The outer wales 3 of two adjoining sets 8 of a single group of courses 7 are offset with respect to the pair of outer wales 3 of the adjoining group of courses 7 by a single wale.

The relief pattern can be made more conspicuous by an appropriate selection of fibers in the basic fabric layer. As an example, the basic fabric layer may consist of two layers, i.e. the bottom layer comprising a fibrous web of 70 grams sq.m. made from polyvinyl chloride fibers with potential shrinkage 50-55 per cent under ordinary finishing heat treatment and the top layer comprising a fibrous web of grams/sq.m. made from a blend of wool fibers with slight shrinkage. The warp is constituted by den polyamide filament. The fibers are shrunk by heat-treating the fabric.

The patterned stitch-bonded fabric according to the invention can be produced by the well known Arachne" and other stitch-bonding machines, such as Maliwatt machines, which are equipped with at least two guide bars. The guide bar needles are pattern threaded, eg, in 1:1 or in other pattern threading. The first guide bar laps in odd courses on even needles and in even courses on odd needles and the other guide bar laps in odd courses on odd needles and in even courses on even needles, i.e. following the same opposite structure. After an arbitrary number of courses the order of guide bars and their lapping can be changed in such a way that the first guide bar laps in odd courses on odd needles and in the even courses on even needles and the second guide bar laps in odd courses on even needles and in even courses on odd needles. At such a system of lapping and pattern threading of both the guide bars, pattern combinations are formed in which some of the wale loops are interconnected in two or more courses and some wale loops in the same course are not interconnected. The interconnected and free wales repeat after two or more courses.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the form shown in any of the figures forming part of the accompanying drawing and described herein, inasmuch as the invention, as defined in the appended claims, may be embodied in various forms and may be utilized in connection with various types of fabrics.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

1. A patterned stitch-bonded fabric having a basic fibrous layer which is stitch-bonded with binding warp thread thereby forming a fabric structure which has a plurality of substantially parallel wales of loops on the face of the stitch-bonded fabric, which are connected to each other by loops extending across the back face of the stitch-bonded fabric, and a plurality of substantially parallel courses of loops extending transversely to said wales of loops on said fabric face, said plurality of wales and plurality of loops being respectively divided into sets of wales and groups of courses, the improvement comprising the arrangement wherein each set of wales comprises at least two adjacent wales which .are parallel with respect to each other within the confines of one group of courses and are interconnected to each other by said loops extending across the back face of the stitch-bonded fabric, while the outer wales of adjacent sets of wales are not interconnected to each other within the confines of one group of courses so that said basic fibrous layer bulges out of the front and back faces of said stitch-bonded fabric in the regions between the outer wales of adjacent sets of wales;

the outer wales of the set of wales in adjacent groups of courses being offset with respect to each other.

2. The patterned stitch bonded fabric according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement of wales in adjacent groups of courses differ from each other.

3. The patterned stitch-bonded fabric according to claim 2, wherein the number of wales in each set of wales is identical and wherein the outer wales of adjacent sets of wales forming, respectively, part of adjacent groups of courses are offset by at least one wale with respect to each other.

4. The patterned stitch-bonded fabric according to claim 2, wherein the number of wales in the sets of wales is different, and wherein the outer wales of adjacent sets of wales forming, respectively, part of adjacent groups of courses are offset by at least one wale with respect to each other, the number of sets of wales in adjacent groups of courses being identical.

5. The patterned stitch-bonded fabric according to claim 2, wherein the number of wales in the sets of wales is different and wherein the outer wales of adjacent sets of wales forming respectively part of adjacent groups of courses are offset by at least one wale with respect to each other, the number of sets of wales in adjacent groups of courses being difierent.

6. The patterned stitch-bonded fabric according to claim 1,

wherein said basic fibrous layer comprises at least two sublayers, each of which has a different potential shrinkage. 5 

1. A patterned stitch-bonded fabric having a basic fibrous layer which is stitch-bonded with binding warp thread thereby forming a fabric structure which has a plurality of substantially parallel wales of loops on the face of the stitch-bonded fabric, which are connected to each other by loops extending across the back face of the stitch-bonded fabric, and a plurality of substantially parallel courses of loops extending transversely to said wales of loops on said fabric face, said plurality of wales and plurality of loops being respectively divided into sets of wales and groups of courses, the improvement comprising the arrangement wherein each set of wales comprises at least two adjacent wales which are parallel with respect to each other within the confines of one group of courses and are interconnected to each other by said loops extending across the back face of the stitch-bonded fabric, while the outer wales of adjacent sets of wales are not interconnected to each other within the confines of one group of courses so that said basic fibrous layer bulges out of the front and back faces of said stitch-bonded fabric in the regions between the outer wales of adjacent sets of wales; the outer wales of the set of wales in adjacent groups of courses being offset with respect to each other.
 2. The patterned stitch bonded fabric according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement of wales in adjacent groups of courses differ from each other.
 3. The patterned stitch-bonded fabric according to claim 2, wherein the number of wales in each set of wales is identical and wherein the outer wales of adjacent sets of wales forming, respectively, part of adjacent groups of courses are offset by at least one wale with respect to each other.
 4. The patterned stitch-bonded fabric according to claim 2, wherein the number of wales in the sets of wales is different, and wherein the outer wales of adjacent sets of wales forming, respectively, part of adjacent groups of courses are offset by at least one wale with respect to each other, the number of sets of wales in adjacent groups of courses being identical.
 5. The patterned stitch-bonded fabric according to claim 2, wherein the number of wales in the sets of wales is different and wherein the outer wales of adjacent sets of wales forming respectively part of adjacent groups of courses are offset by at least one wale with respect to each other, the number of sets of wales in adjacent groups of courses being different.
 6. The patterned stitch-bonded fabric according to claim 1, wherein said basic fibrous layer comprises at least two sub-layers, each of which has a different potential shrinkage. 